Patterson calls for lottery to avoid cost of primary to fill McCotter's seat

FILE - In this Sept. 24, 2011 file photo, U.S. Rep. Thaddeus McCotter, R-Mich., addresses the Republican Leadership Conference at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich. McCotter resigned Friday, July 6, 2012, capping a bizarre political downfall that started after his campaign failed to submit enough valid petition signatures to get him on the ballot for re-election. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)

Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson is renewing his call for Republicans and Democrats to narrow their selection to one candidate to avoid the cost of a special primary election to fill the term of former U.S. Rep. Thaddeus McCotter.

Patterson said Tuesday that both major political parties should hold a lottery to pick one Republican and one Democrat in order to avoid a special primary election Sept. 5.

The state estimates the cost of that election at $650,000 to the local communities in Oakland and Wayne counties that make up the current 11th Congressional District.

“This is about fiscal responsibility,” Patterson said in an early morning statement. “If there is only one candidate from each party running, there is no need to spend tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars on a special primary election.

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“It’s ridiculous to spend that amount of taxpayer dollars on a special primary election for just a couple weeks in office.”

McCotter, a Livonia Republican whose district covers communities in western Wayne and Oakland counties, abruptly quit Congress earlier this month.

The governor’s office ruled it had no choice under state law but to call for a special election to fill his seat, even though whoever is ultimately elected would serve from the Nov. 6 general election to the rest of the year.

The special election is running at the same time as the regular election for a two-year term.

McCotter’s seat became open when he failed to file enough valid signatures to get on the Aug. 7 primary ballot for re-election. He dismissed his own write-in candidacy to secure the Republican nomination, citing an attorney general’s investigation into the faulty signatures that kept him off the ballot.

Five Republicans and one Democrat have filed in the special election.

The Republicans are Kerry Bentivolio of Milford, Nancy Cassis of Novi, Kenneth Crider of Livonia, Carolyn Kavanagh of Livonia and Steve King of Livonia.

The lone Democrat is David A. Curson of Belleville.

Cassis has also mounted her own write-in campaign for the Republican nomination for the regular two-year term against Bentivolio.

Democrats seeking the nomination for the regular election are Syed Taj of Canton and William F. Roberts of Redford.

The winning Democrat and Republican in the Aug. 7 primary advance to the regular election ballot Nov. 6, the same date that the special general election to fill McCotter’s seat will be held.

Currently, the district includes the Oakland County communities of Highland, White Lake Township, Milford, Lyon and Commerce townships, part of Waterford Township, and Novi, Walled Lake, Wolverine Lake, Wixom and part of Northville.

Contact Charles Crumm at 248-745-4649, charlie.crumm@oakpress.com or follow him on Twitter @crummc and on Facebook. More information is at oaklandmichiganpolitics.blogspot.com.